Protective covering for scaffolding



Feb. 18, 1964 A. w. STONE ETAL PROTECTIVE COVERING FOR SCAFFOLDING 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed May ll, 1962 INVENTORS ALLEN w. STONE \N\LL.IS H. CHAPIN BY PM /laww ATTORNEY A. W. STONE ETAL PROTECTIVE COVERING FOR SCAFFOLDING Feb. 18, 1964 Filed May ll, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 5 mm T SH W.C NH E L AH..

ATTORNEY Feb. 18, 1964 A. w. STONE ETAL 3,121,470

PROTECTIVE covERING FOR scAFFoLDING Filed4 May ll, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 40 "Fig, S

INVENTOR 5 ALLEN W. STONE WLLlS H. CHAPIN ATTORNEY Feb. 18, 1964 A. w. STONE ETAL 3,121,470

PROTECTIVE COVERING FOR SCAFFOLDING Filed May 11, 1962 4 sheets-sheet 4 \L E /l 53 21 "85 49 l a 'Fl .8 78 8s 75 85 40 7| 9| 9480 76 86 jc. 98 t 92 8| 87 86 89 84 95 96 Fl 7 4o /7 96 76 93 INVENTORS ALLE N W. STONE wxLLls H. CHAPIN BYv JM ATTORNEY United States Patent Oce 3,121,470 Patented Feb. 18, 1964 3,121,479 PROTECTIVE COVERING FOR SCAFFOLDING Allen W. Stone, 125 Raynor Ave., and Willis H. Chapin, 135 Raynor Ave., both of Whitman, Mass. Filed May 11, 1962, Ser. No. 194,0552 3 Claims. (ci. isz-129) This invention relates to scaffolding of the typ-e commonly installed adjacent to a wall of a building and the like, and more particularly to a covering secured to the scaffolding for the purpose of protecting workmen on the scaffolding during inclement and severe weather conditions.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved protective covering for scaffolding having uprights positioned substantially at uniformly spaced apart intervals, in which the covering is in the form of sheet material having a width spanning the space between each pair of the uprights.

Another object of the invention is to provide an irnproved means for detachably securing a protective covering of sheet material to the frame of scaffolding.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved cover construction which may be readily assembled and disassembled without the need of special skills or techniques, and which has a wide range of applications in a variety of building construction situations.

With the foregoing and other objects and advantages in view the invention consists in the preferred construction and arrangement of the several parts which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. l is a front elevation of a portion of a conventional scaifolding, illustrating a section thereof provided with a temporary protective covering arranged according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken along the line 2&2 of FIG. l, illustrating the manner in which sheets of the protective covering material are secured to the upright members of the scaffolding;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one of the clamping strips for the protective covering illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of the scaffolding taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. l, parts being omitted;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 4, looking toward the inside of a portion of the front of the scaffolding having the protective covering material mounted thereon;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged horizontal sectional View taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an elevation of the structure shown in FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken along the line 8 8 of FIG. 5.

Scaffolding structures of the type usually installed adjacent to a wall of a building to provide means for supporting a walkway for workmen, may comprise a skeleton frame 2t) of steel pipe construction. This frame 20 includes a front upright member 21, a rear upright member 22, a pair of horizontal rods 23 and 24 connecting the front and rear upright members 21 and 22, respectively, as clearly illustrated in FIG. 4.

The horizontal rods 23 and 24 are located adjacent to the upper ends of the front and rear upright members 21 and 22, and are suitably spaced apart one below the other.

A plurality of vertically arranged reinforcing rods 25, 26 and 27 are interposed between the two horizontal rods 23 and 24. The vertical rod 26 is located at a point midway between the front and rear upright members 21 and 22. The vertical rod 25 is located at a suitable distance between the vertical rod 26 and the front upright member 21, and the vertical rod 27 is located at a suitable distance between the vertical rod 26 and the rear upright member 22.

An inclined strut 28 extends from a point of the lower horizontal rod 24 adjacent to the point of said rod to which the vertical rod 25 is located, to a point near the lower end of the front upright member 2l, and an nclined strut 29 extends from a point of the lower horizontal rod 24 adjacent to the point of said rod to which the vertical rod 27 is located, to a point near the lower end of the rear upright member 22.

Connecting the front upright member 21 and the inclined strut 28 is a pair of horizontally disposed rods 30 and 31. Connecting the rear upright member 22 and the inclined strut 29 is a pair of horizontally disposed rods 32 and 33. It will be understood that the elements 28, 40 and 31, and the elements 29, 32 and 33 constitute braces for the frame 2t).

So that the frames 20 can be readily assembled, all of the frames are similarly formed, and as shown in FIG. l, each frame 26 provides one unit of the scaifolding, which is formed by assembling the frames in suitable spaced apart relationship.

In one form of scaffolding the uprights 21 and 22 of each frame are tubular pipes approximately six feet six inches in length. The lower ends of these members 21 and 22 are open, and the upper ends thereof are provided with upwardly extending studs 35 of suitable dimension so that a second frame 20 can be arranged above the rst frame with said studs 35 mounted within the lower tubular portion of the upper frame and thereby connect the frames together in the manner illustrated in FIG. 4. The rear upright member 22 of each frame 2i) is spaced approximately ve feet from the front upright member 21.

The frames are assembled in suitable spaced apart relationship relative to each other, the space between said frames being such that the upright members thereof are arranged on centers approximately seven feet part lengthwise of the scaffolding, in the manner illustrated in FIG. l.

In order to retain the frames 20 in an upright position, a pair of diagonally disposed cross bars 36 and 37 are connected at their ends to the front upright members 2l, and a similar pair of diagonally disposed cross bars (not shown) are connected at their ends to the rear upright members 22.

A platform or walkway for workmen is formed of a plurality of planks 38 arranged lengthwise of the scaffolding and resting on the horizontal rods 23 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 4.

The frames 20, arranged in spaced apa-rt relationship -in the manner above described, provide a scaffolding of skeleton yform which, in severe winter weather offers no protection to workmen occupying the several levels of the platforms provided by the planks 38.

According to the present invention, means are provided by which the outer side or front portion of the scaffolding has a protective covering of suitable sheet material mounted thereon. This protective covering may be formed of sheets of canvas or similar woven material, or said covering may be formed of sheets of translucent polyethylene plastic. For the purpose of illustration, the protective covering for the scaffolding is shown as being sheets of polyethylene plastic 40 of a type having strong physical properties to withstand high winds and low temperatures.

Since the uprights 21 of the scaffolding are .adapted to be arranged on centers spaced approximately seven feet apart in the manner heretofore described, sheets of polyethylene plastic eight lfeet in width and of a length to extend to the full height of the scaffolding are employed for the protective covering. These sheets of polyethylene plastic are adapted to be mounted' on the scaffolding in the manner hereinafter more lfully described.

interposed between the upright members 21 are a plurality of horizontal spreader bars 44. These spreader bars 44 are preferablyformed of tubular pipes having a lengthapproxirnately equal-to the distance between the upright members .21., sol thatthe oppositefends of each spreader bar 44.abut the exterior surfaces of the upright membersZl in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7.

In order to detachably connect the ends of each spreader bar 44 to the upright members-21, suitable fastening means are provided in the `form of brackets, generally indicated at45.

-Each bracket 45 comprises a clamp plate 415 and a looped bolt47.

The. clampplate 46 is formed of an elongated strip of metal havingan opening formed in the body of the plate adjacent to one end thereof, and a notch '49 formed' in the. body of the plate adjacent to the other end thereof and extending inwardly ofthe plate from one longitudinal side edge, as shown in FIG. 7.

The plate 46 has a suitable length so that the interme- `diateportion of said plate can be arranged in face to facefengagement with the exterior surface of the upright member 21, the end of the plate i6 having the opening 48 bein-g arranged in contactwith the exterior surface ofthe spreader bar 44 for a suitable distance, and the endof saidplate having the notch `i9 extending for a suitable. distance outwardly from the uprightmember 21 in the manner shown fin lFIG. 6.

Each looped bolt 47 has an intermediate portion 5i' arranged to engage the exterior surface of the upright member 21, and a pair oflegs 52 and 53 extending from the intermediate portion 51. and spaced apart a distance greater than the diameter of the upright member 21.

The leg 52 of the looped boltx47 is adapted to be inserted V in aligned' openings 55" and 56 formed in the spreader bar 4'4at a suitable point inwardly from the end thereof.

The extremity of the leg S2 of the looped bolt 47`is provided with screw threads 57 upon which isk mounted a nut 58 which, when turned up against the plate 46, clamps the plate 46 against the exterior surface of the spreader barw44.

Whenthe leg 52'of' the looped bolt 47 is mounted in the openings '5 and 56 of the spreader bar 44, the leg 5.3 of said looped bolt 47 is arranged in spaced relation with respect' to the exterior surface of the upright member21 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 6. In this position the leg `53is arranged for insertion in the notch 49` of the plate.4\6'.

The extremity of the leg 53 of the looped bolt 47 is provided with screw threads 60 upon which is mounted a winged nut 61 which, when turned'up tight against the plate lt6 causes said plate to bend in a direction toward.

the Aintermediate section 51 of the looped bolt 47, and

thereby iixedly secure the end of the spreader bar 44 to the front upright members 21 of the. scaffolding.

Scaffolding formed'of a plurality of frames 2t) arranged in superposedrelationship one above the other and also, arranged in side by side spaced relationship to provide a skeleton iframe of predetermined height and width, has a plurality of the horizontal spreader bars 44 for the purpose of supporting the sheets of polyethylene plastic 40 between the upright members 21 of the frames 2i) at suitable spaced apart Vertical intervals, in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1. Thus, the plurality of horizontal spreader bars 44' which are disposed between a pair of the upright members 21 in one tier of the scaffoldingis preferably arranged in staggered relationship with respect to the plurality of horizontal spreader bars 44V disposed in theadjoinin-g tier of the scaffolding so that the brackets 45 can be readily mounted on the upright members 21 in the manner illustratedfin FIG. 5. lt will be understood that the several spreader bars 44 of each t-ier of the scaffolding may be spaced vertically apart any desired distance, the manner in which the spreader bars de are arranged on the scaffolding as shownV in FlG. l, being merely for the purpose of illustrating a preferred -form of the present invention.

FlG. Zi-llustrates a pair ofupright members 21 of the scaffolding frame 2t?. IExtending bet-Ween these upright members 21, is a sheet of polyethylene plastic 40, which has its portion 66 alongl one vertical side edge of the sheet wrapped partly around the upright member 21 at the left hand side of PIG. 2. Overlying the portion `66 ofthe, sheet of` polyethylene plastic dii is the side edge portion 67 lofthe sheet of polyethylene plastic 4t) which is mounted on the adjacent section of the scaffolding frame. in a similar manner one side edge portion `68 of the sheet of polyethylene plastic 4% on .the section of thescaffolding adjoining the upright member 2.11 at the right hand side of =FIG. 2 is wrapped partly around the upright member 2l, and'overlying the side edge portion 68 is the side edge portion 69 opposite to the side edge portion 66 of Ithe'sheet of polyethylene plastic llilshown between the two upright members `Z1 (FlG. 2).

it will be understood that the entire lfront of the scaffolding can have sheets of polyethylene plastic covering 4@ mounted thereon with the vertical side edges wrapped part-ly around the upright members 21 in the. manner abovel described.

In order to hold the sheets of polyethylene plastic 40 against the front portion of the scatolding at intervals spaced apartvertically in a direction upwardly from the lower portion of the scaffolding toward the top portion thereof, ateach of the horizontal spreader bars 44 above the lowermost spreader bar of each section of the scaffolding, a portion of the sheet of polyethyleneA plastic 4E) is folded transversely of the sheet back upon itself to provi-dea tuck 71 of suitable size. This transverse tucked,

including elongated strips of metal75 kand spring loaded clamps 76 for holding the metal strips 75 in place on the scaffolding in theA manner to be hereinafter described.

As shown best in FIGS. 2, 3 and S, each metal strip '75 is of suitable length, and is arcuate in crosssection,

havingy a-curvature corresponding substantially with the curvature of the exterior surface of the pipes constituting the upright members 21 and the horizontal spreader bars 44 ofl the scaolding structure heretofore described.

One of the longitudinal side edges of each metal strip 75'is bentfoutwardly at an angle with respect to the arcuate body of said strip to provide a flange or lip 78.

This iange or lip 78'is' connected to` the main body of the strip 75 by an arcuate section 79 of suitable curvature. Along this arcuate section 79; the sheet of polyethylene plastic 40 is arranged in the manner illustrated in FIGS. Tandf 8'; so that no sharp creases will be formed in the covering material.

The main body portion of each strip 75 has such a widththat said strip is arranged in faceV to face. engagement with asuicient portion of the, polyethylene plastic 40 to iirmly hold said polyethylene plastic inposition on the upright members 21 and'on the spreader bars 44; and thereby prevent dislodgementof the polyethylene plastic 40 from the frame of the scaffolding.

Each spring loaded clamp 76 comprises an upper member 80 and a lower member S1. Both members 8d and 81 are formed of substantially rectangular pieces of metal of suitable length and width. At one end portion of the upper member 8d,- the metal is bent to provide an arcuate head or jaw 83 having a curvature corresponding substantially with the curvature of the upper face of the strip 75. Likewise, at one end portion of the lower member 81, the metal is bent to provide an arcuate head or jaw 84 having a curvature corresponding substantially with the curvature of the pipe section 21, 44, to which the clamp 7 6 is applied. The members 80 and 81 have such a length that said members, when positioned on the scaffolding frame, project rearwardly therefrom for a suitable distance.

The rear end portion of the upper member 80 is provided with a transverse slot 85, in which is inserted a tongue 86 on the upper edge of an end member 87. Likewise, the rear end portion of the lower member 81 is provided with a transverse slot 88, in which is inserted a tongue 89 on the lower edge of the end member 87.

The end member 87 has a width corresponding substantially with the width of the members 80 and 81, and the height of the end member 87 is such that the rear ends of the members 80 and 81 are disposed in suitable spaced apart relation in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8.

Due to the manner in which the tongues 86 and 89 of the end member 87 are mounted in the slots 8S and 88 of the members 80 and 81, respectively, said members 80 and 81 are thereby freely movable in a direction toward and away from each other.

At a point intermediate its length, the body of the member 80 is provided with an opening 91, and at a substantially corresponding location intermediate its length, the body of the member 81 is provided with an opening 92.

Inserted in the aligned openings 91 and 92 is the shank of a bolt 93 having a head 94 at one end bearing against the upper surface of the member 80. The lower portion of the shank of the bolt 93 is provided with screw threads 95 upon which is threadedly mounted a winged nut 96 which bears against the bottom surface of the lower member 81.

Encircling the shank of the bolt 93 and bearing at one end against the bottom surface of the upper member 80 and bearing against the upper surface of the lower member 81, is a compression spring 98, which normally urges the two members 89 and 81 away from each other in opposite directions about the pivotal connection provided by the tongues 86 and 89 of the end member 87 above described.

When the winged nut 96 is unscrewed a predetermined amount, the compression spring 98, acting on the members 80 and 81, spreads the arcuate heads or jaws 83 and 84 of said members a suitable distance apart. In this way the jaws of the members 80 and 81 are spaced apart so that the clamp 76 can be moved into or out of clamping position on the scaffolding frame. When the clamp 76 is arranged in clamping position, and the winged nut 96 is screwed up on the bolt 93 to cause the heads or jaws 83 and 84 of the members 80 and 81 respectively to tightly engage the metal strip 75 and the pipe surface in the manner heretofore described, the spring 98 will be under compression, as illustrated in FIG. 8, and the sheets of polyethylene plastic 40 will be held xedly in position on the scaffolding.

As shown in FIG. 5, the metal clamping strips extend lengthwise of the pipes of each scaffolding frame section, and the clamps 76 are arranged at suitable spaced apart intervals lengthwise of the metal strips. In this manner an improved means has been provided for attaching sheets of protective covering material to scaffolding.

From the foregoing description, it will be noted that the present invention provides an improved cover construction Which may be readily assembled and disassembled without the need of special skills or techniques, and which has a wide range of applications in a variety of building construction situations.

Changes may be made in the details of construction and in the arrangement of the parts above described Within certain limits without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

l. in combination with a scaffolding comprised of interconnected vertical and diagonally disposed tubular members forming a skeleton frame having a side exposed to severe weather conditions, a plurality of sheets of plastic of a length suicient to cover the height of said exposed side and of a width to cover the distance between adjacent vertical uprights and of a physical strength to withstand high winds and low temperatures, portions of the vertical -side edges of each sheet being partially Wrapped about an adjacent vertical member, with each edge of a sheet abutting on the edge of an adjacent sheet, vertically disposed elongated metal securing strips each comprising a transversely arcuate body portion conforming to the curvature of said tubular members, and a plurality of clamps holding said strip and the associated abutting sheet edges in related assembly with the adjacent tubular member at spaced intervals along the length thereof.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein a plurality of spaced horizontally disposed spreader bars are detachably secured between and to adjacent ones of said vertical tubular members, each one of said plastic sheets having transverse folds formed therein adjacent each of said spreader bars, said folds being wrapped around the upper side of said spreader bars, metal securing strips positioned on top of said transverse folds, and clamping means securing said securing strip and said transverse fold to said spreader bars.

3. A device as set forth in claim 2 wherein each of said securing strips is provided with an outwardly extending longitudinal flange formed integrally thereon along one edge thereof and positioned against said plastic sheets to prevent sharp creases from being formed therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 499,933 Phillips June 20, 1893 862,152 German Aug. 6, 1907 1,926,089 Forbes Sept. 12, 1933 2,833,596 Borgman May 6, 1958 2,854,723 Clapper Oct. 7, 1958 2,975,904 Krebs Mar. 21, 1961 3,007,541 Mast Nov. 7, 1961 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A SCAFFOLDING COMPRISED OF INTERCONNECTED VERTICAL AND DIAGONALLY DISPOSED TUBULAR MEMBERS FORMING A SKELETON FRAME HAVING A SIDE EXPOSED TO SEVERE WEATHER CONDITIONS, A PLURALITY OF SHEETS OF PLASTIC OF A LENGTH SUFFICIENT TO COVER THE HEIGHT OF SAID EXPOSED SIDE AND OF A WIDDTH TO COVER THE DISTANCE BETWEEN ADJACENT VERTICAL UPRIGHTS AND OF A PHYSICAL STRENGTH TO WITHSTAND HIGH WINDS AND LOW TEMPERATURES, PORTIONS OF THE VERTICAL SIDE EDGES OF EACH SHEET BEING PARTIALLY WRAPPED ABOUT AN ADJACENT VERTICAL MEMBER, WITH EACH EDGE OF A SHEET ABUTTING ON THE EDGE OF AN ADJACENT SHEET, VERTICALLY DISPOSED ELONGATED METAL SECURING STRIPS EACH COMPRISING A TRANSVERSELY ARCUATE BODY PORTION CONFORM- 